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The other day I woke up from a recurring nightmare that I have that’s somewhat based on reality. In my dream, it’s minutes before a big party with all of my friends and family. Chicken wings are on the menu – there’s a reason I keep seeing chicken wings labelled as party wings after all. I put the wings in the oven at 3:00 and set the timer. All of a sudden there’s smoke pouring out the the oven and the timer’s flashing 13:00. I’m worried about smoke inhalation, the house burning down and whether or not the chicken wings will be salvageable.

I must’ve been pretty deep into it because Mike shook me awake and asked if I was having a nightmare. I was whimpering in my sleep. Sounds absurd, I know. And the thing is I haven’t even burnt chicken wings before. What has happened to me, and still makes me cringe at my stupidity is my flimsy understanding of the 24 hour clock.

I must have been daydreaming when we covered that section in grade 2 math because I had a serious epic fail while I was in university. It was during finals. I checked my exam schedule and saw that it was set for 3 pm. I showed up 15 minutes early (because I’m conscientious like that!) and paid a visit to the restroom. Inside I saw one of my fellow classmates washing their hands.

Girl: Hey Steph, you finished the test pretty quick, as usual. What’d you think?
Me: Fast? Huh, what do you mean what did I think?
Girl: Of the exam?
Me (it starts on dawn on me that something is terribly, terribly wrong): But it’s at 3!!
Girl (with a look of EXTREME pity): The test was scheduled at 13:00. You know, 1 pm?

Seriously, my stomach dropped. I felt like a complete and utter idiot. Long story short, I read the exam schedule wrong. I’m a horrible Asian. I don’t have a special relationship with numbers. Math and, heck, even clocks, are my mortal enemies. Luckily my prof took pity on me and let me take the exam. My crazy face, complete with crying, must’ve convinced her I was telling the truth. I took the text, still feeling like an idiot. But, I did get an A!

If you’ve had a nightmare, about chicken wings or math, these crispy oven baked wings will make you feel better. As much as I LOVE deep fried chicken wings, sometimes I don’t want to break out the oil. The answer: the oven. You can make crispy wings in less than an hour, most of it hands off. The crunch is not as extreme as it is when you deep fry, but the wings are still delightfully, deliciously light and crispy. And the glaze: who doesn’t love honey, garlic and soy? Sticky, sweet, garlicky and GOOD. You are six ingredients away from deliciousness.

Crispy Honey Garlic Soy Baked Chicken Wing Recipe
serves 2

• 1 lb chicken wing sections
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon soy
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• pepper to taste

If you have the foresight, lay your chicken wing sections to dry out the skin. If you are in need of chicken wings RIGHT NOW, pat your wings as dry as you can with paper towels and let them dry out while you’re preheating the oven to 400°F. Set a wire rack  inside a lined rimmed baking sheet.

Toss the chicken wings in the potato starch and shake off the excess. Lay out the chicken on your prepared rack, leaving plenty of space between wings. Bake for 45 minutes, until cooked through and crispy, flipping once.

When there’s 2-5 minutes left on your timer, heat up the honey, soy and garlic over medium heat until bubbly and thick. Remove the wings from the rack, place in a bowl and toss with the honey soy sauce. Enjoy immediately.

chicken wingsgarlichoneysoy sauce